Where Dreams Reside by Heidi Chiavaroli

Author:Heidi Chiavaroli [Chiavaroli, Heidi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Heidi Chiavaroli

17

I clenched my fists as I entered the doors of the hospital emergency room. The last time I was in this place, I’d learned of Isabel’s death. I still remembered the haze and pain of it all. The harsh scent of disinfectant, the thick bandage around my head where the windshield had cracked through my tender skin, my parents wringing their hands by the side of my hospital bed.

Worse than all that was the sound of Isabel’s parents praying aloud in the hallway. Then, when they found out the horrible news that they’d never see their daughter again this side of heaven, their haunting wails pierced the hospital corridors, echoing the silent, soul-sucking moans of my own heart.

I spotted Bronson in the waiting room and wilted in near relief at the sight of him. His hair lay plastered in unruly waves, his t-shirt crinkled where it had dried slowly beneath the air conditioning of the hospital. I should have asked Mrs. Martin or Amie or Lizzie for an extra pair of clothes for him after the parents had picked up their kids. But I hadn’t realized he’d come straight to the hospital. Had Ned hit his head that badly?

I reached for Bronson, and he squeezed my hand.

“How is he?”

“He seemed fine, but they won’t tell me anything. His parents are with him now.”

“He’ll be okay, Bronson.” I slid into a seat beside him, not at all sure of my own words. Bad things happened at hospitals. People died. Lives were changed forever.

Bronson touched my cheek ever so gently. “He will be okay. Don’t worry, Morgan. Kids bump their heads every day. My mom used to joke that I was actually a goat with how often I was knocking my head against things. His parents weren’t even sure about bringing him to the hospital—said they could monitor him at home. But with it happening while at camp, I encouraged them to get him checked out.”

“They won’t blame you.”

Bronson shrugged. “I hope not.”

I recalled Bronson’s determined strokes to Ned, how he’d confidently handled the situation with firm compassion. I loved that Bronson knew what he was about. He didn’t doubt his actions, his faith, his place in the world. He’d never questioned whether they should simply go about their day, pretend the incident with Ned never happened.

I remembered Cameron and his mom walking up to the Orchard House barn the morning before. When I’d given him a questioning glance, Bronson only shrugged, the edge of his ears growing endearingly pink.

“We cut a deal.”

Only later did I find out the deal Bronson had “cut” with Cameron. He risked so much—not only Cameron’s admission fee to the camp, but a whole lot of headaches if he didn’t prove to be a good worker for Bronson’s apple-picking venture.

And yet, Bronson had gone out of his way for the sake of giving the kid a chance. He’d listened to me. So much so, that he put his neck on the line for a kid we hadn’t an inkling would prove his mettle.

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